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预防 (yù fáng) — to prevent, to take precautions against

Definition

预防 (yùfáng) means to prevent or take precautions against something before it happens — wider in scope than 防/防止, which focus on guarding against a specific threat. 防治 adds 'and treat' and is used for disease or pests.

verb
to preventto take precautions against

Examples

  • 预防。
    Duō xǐ shǒu kě yǐ yù fáng shēng bìng.
    Washing hands often can prevent illness.
  • 预防。
    Zhù yì ān quán kě yǐ yù fáng shì gù.
    Paying attention to safety can prevent accidents.
  • 预防。
    Tí qián zuò hǎo zhǔn bèi kě yǐ yù fáng chū xiàn wèn tí.
    Preparing in advance can prevent problems from arising.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

预yùin advance
防fángguard against

预 means beforehand and 防 means guard against; together they express taking precautions in advance.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 預; 预 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yè
Sound part声符shēngfú
予
予yǔ預yù
Same sound today

The traditional form 預 combines 予 for the sound and 頁 for the meaning; the simplified 预 is a later shorthand.

Open 预 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阝Written in full as阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
方
方fāng防fáng
Same sound today

防 pairs 阝 (written fully as 阜) with 方, which gives the sound.

Open 防 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5Safety & Danger

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